Bluegrass gospel performers the Watkins Family will bring their distinct sound to Sacred Sounds Friday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Ringgold Depot at Depot Street and U.S. 41 in Ringgold, Ga. in a special concert for the Share America Foundation, Inc. Also appearing will be teenage artists Mountain Cove Bluegrass featuring youth from the Chattanooga area including Austin Adkins, Cody Harvey, Mike Holloway, Colin Mabry, Will Markham and Tyler Martelli.
Randall Franks, “Officer Randy Goode” from TV’s “In the Heat of the Night” will emcee. Ticket donation is $5.
The Watkins Family includes matriarch Judy Watkins and her adult children - Todd and Lorie.
Their latest project is “Heaven's Worth Waiting For.”
The group has already experienced chart success with singles “What a Wonderful Name,” “Sometimes You Gotta Rock the Boat” and others from the project.
Lorie was nominated for Favorite Female Vocalist and Favorite Instrumentalist in the 2010 Front Porch Fellowship Bluegrass Gospel Music Awards.
She was previously nominated twice as Female Vocalist of the Year in the Front Porch Fellowship Bluegrass Gospel Music Awards hosted at the National Quartet Convention. She appeared in the NQC All-Star Band in 2008 and 2009.
The CD produced by Grammy winner Mark Fain, Grammy nominated Karen Peck Gooch, and Danny Jones follows their acclaimed project “Darkness Wept” which brought the popular radio singles “He's Still God,” a number 1 song, “Love Stood Alone” and “Round The Last Turn.”
For more information, visit www.watkinsfamilymusic.com.
Mountain Cove Bluegrass is a six-member band comprised of talented young musicians ranging in age from 16 to 19 from two Chattanooga area high schools. Originally founded during school lunch periods in 2008, Mountain Cove Bluegrass has garnered frequent news media attention for outstanding instrumental work, close vocal harmonies, and their energetic stage presence. Banjo player Cody Harvey started Mountain Cove Bluegrass in 2008 during lunch breaks at Signal Mountain Middle High School. The young musicians also jammed together whenever possible at Walden Ridge’s famed Mountain Opry, where Cody met two band members from Hixson High School. The group began performing in late 2008, gaining audience approval and local media attention. Their first CD, “New Generation,” was released in late 2009, and their second CD, "Back Home” was recently released in 2011.
The event is a fundraiser for the Pearl and Floyd Franks Scholarship Fund. The Share America Foundation, Inc., a Georgia non-profit, presents scholarships to talented musicians who excel in the Appalachian musical arts.
Donations for tickets are adults: $5, children five and under free with adult. Tickets may be purchased locally in advance during business hours at SonShine Christian Books 706 861-7675 in Fort Oglethorpe. For more information, Share America Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 42 Tunnel Hill, Ga. 30755 or www.shareamericafoundation.com.